NPT Councillor’s Letter regarding Arson and Fire at Rheola House

Dear Editor,

I write to you with a heart heavy with sorrow and a deep sense of grief that I know is shared by so many across our district. The devastating fire that has torn Rheola House from our valley has left me utterly devastated — and now we learn that four men have been arrested in connection with this deliberate act of destruction. My relief that progress has been made is overshadowed entirely by the scale of what has been lost, and by the callous disregard shown for something so precious to us all.

This was never merely bricks and timber. Rheola House was a Grade II listed treasure*, designed by the legendary architect John Nash — the very man who gave Buckingham Palace its world-famous façade — and built between 1812 and 1814 for his cousin John Edwards . Before the house even stood, this land carried centuries of history: in 1296 it was recorded as Hirrole Grange, a monastic grange of Neath Abbey , and for generations it has stood silent and proud between Resolven and Glynneath, watching over our valley . Its gardens and parkland hold their own Grade II designation on the Cadw Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. It was one of Nash’s final private commissions, a masterpiece of the Regency era, and part of the soul of our community. To see it gutted by fire — to see its beautiful rooms, its plasterwork, its memories reduced to ash — is not just vandalism; it is an attack on our history, our identity, and every one of us who calls this place home.

These thugs did not just destroy a building. They struck at something that connected us across centuries — from the monks who once tended these grounds, to the families who lived and loved within those walls, to the generations of local people who have walked past it with pride and taken comfort in its enduring presence. There is no excuse, no justification, and no explanation that can ever make sense of such mindless cruelty.

I urge the authorities to throw the full weight of the law behind this case. Those responsible must face every consequence their actions deserve. Our community will not rest until justice is done. We need to send the clearest message possible: our heritage is not a target. Our history is not for burning. And we will defend what belongs to us.

My deepest, most heartfelt thoughts are with the owners at this unbearable time — especially knowing there were hopeful plans to restore and breathe new life into this beautiful place. I truly, desperately hope they are able to salvage as much of what remains as possible, and that somehow, from these charred ruins, Rheola House may rise again — rebuilt, restored, and ready to stand watch over our valley for another two hundred years and more.

We owe it to our past. We owe it to our future.

Yours sincerely,

Councillor Dean Lewis

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